WTB silicone

[wesleydnunder]

Where do i buy sillicone? I need to reseal my 180 gallon tank. I went to HomeDepot, Lowes and Ace and neither of them had sillicone for an aquarium tank.

Bohn's Building materials in Texas City carries Dow Corning 100% silicone. It is the best to use for aquariums, IMO. It cures slower and clearer than GE Silicone 1 and is a much better aquarium sealant.

Bohn's Building Materials - (409) 948 - 3538

Mark

[billansor]

Wow... Good information supplied by Wes and Phish,, Thank you John.....for sharing the post!

Couple of observations... The cure time--- I guess I never thought about curing time being so important. I know that working with cement that it is important and in fact, up in Minnesota... Temperature is equally important especially when it comes close to fall / winter when the temperatures get down into the 40's.

In talking with the guy a bit further, He had bought this tank as a leaker. He also mentioned that the bottom was raised up a little bit and it was an old tank. I know that tanks building, styles, and construction material used have evolved over the years. I can still remember the old slate bottom with the metal edging frames from decades ago... Dang.... soon it may be a half century ago.

I have a suggestion for the moderator(s) on this forum...

Why not have two individual sections that will include basic information ???stickys???

Section one....A TO Z Glass aquarium building / repairing This section would have all the info and updates as well as current projects from people.

Section two... A TO Z Acrylic aquarium building / repairing and maintenance This section would have likewise the above information.

Both sections would be kinda like training manuals with video's, blue prints, and cover very basics to more than... as well as materials of what to use and not to use. A person could turn to these sections and by the time being done reading would have a pretty good grasp of what should be done and why.

Just my thoughts


Bill

[RonR.]

I've used GE I with great results. My 180g was not a leaker, just an old tank from 1985. When I had the opportunity to drain her I figured that would be a good time to reseal her.

I used a razor blade to remove all the old silicone. It was stained blue from using Clout. I was careful not to remove any glue from from inbetween the glass panes because I wanted to maintain the integrity and strength of that bond.

I used alcohol to be sure the corner surfaces were clean. I bought some of that blue painters masking tape at HD and used it to keep a straight line. I taped out about 1/4" from the corner. I bought some disposable gloves at CVS and made sure to have a pair on my hands.

I used my caulk gun to run a medium bead from the bottom to the top corner of my tank. I wet my gloved finger to smooth out the bead. Wetting my finger made it easier to play with. The silicone begins to dry pretty fast so once I laid down the bead with my gun I used my finger to smooth it out. I guess I waited about a minute to check it out and when I went back over it, the silicone was not a pliable as before so I had to remove the silicone and tape and try again.

I re-did the same corner smoothing down the bead quickly and soon after (don't wait) I started pulling up the blue painters tape. The edges of the silicone right against the blue painters tape wanted to come up some, but didn't so I had to be quicker on the other 3 corners of the tank.

The blue painters tape leaves the silicone on straight giving the reseal a more professional look.

I waited 4-5 days for the silicone to dry. Once the vinegar smell is gone, the silicone has cured. No problems with leaks and the seals still look good after 5 years.

[fshfrk]

Got this of of a salt water site.RTV108 is a adhesive and supposed to be better than GE1 window and door which is a sealant.

http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/108.html